Archived Industry News for Water Professionals
- April, 2012

The Federal Government has outlined $66 million in budget spending to improve water management over the next four years, with State Water Minister Peter Walsh saying the move will establish the state as a world leader in water practice.

"Over the next four years $50.4 million will be invested to improve water resource measurement and management," Mr Walsh said.

"This money will be used to improve surface water monitoring and data management, groundwater monitoring through the State Observation Bore Network, the Victorian water register and integrated water analysis and reporting.”

Foreign Minister Senator Bob Carr announced Australia will join the global Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) Partnership. Being a member of SWA will allow Australia to add its voice to the global call to support the world's poor with improved access to safe water and basic sanitation.

Victoria’s Essential Services Commission (ESC) has proposed to approve an additional three per cent increase to water prices for Barwon Water customers in the 2012-13 year to reflect the cost of the Melbourne to Geelong Pipieline.

The Federal Government has released the Australian Water Supplier Compact, which will aim to encourage the country’s water suppliers and urban utilities to meet the needs of Australia’s urban water supply.

The National Water Commission (NWC) has released a report into water trading in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, finding that water markets helped the region remain productive, even during severe drought periods.

“This project represents water security for fruit and vegetable producers in the Carnarvon area - without it, any expansion of the Gascoyne food bowl would not be possible,” State Minister for Agriculture and Food Terry Redman said.

Between 500 and 800 billion litres of water could be saved by more efficient management of the Murray Darling Basin’s rivers and environmental water, according to the Victorian Farmers Federation, but the savings have not been facted into the MDBA's plan.

“It’s a fundamental flaw in the plan,” VFF President Andrew Broad said.

He said the VFF did not support the draft basin plan in its current form as most of the burden of diverting 2750 billion litres of irrigators’ water to the environment would fall on Victorian and Riverina communities.

“We’re calling on the Authority to enshrine more efficient use of environmental water and river operations in the final basin plan.”

“We’re sick of the argument being framed as a battle between irrigators and the environment,” Mr Broad said.

“Farmers are practical environmentalists and they care about the river. A good plan can be achieved if we put in the infrastructure to support it.

“The draft plan fails to include infrastructure and that’s why we’re so disappointed. In its current form, it will simply strip water to appease city votes.

“Just like farmers have improved their infrastructure by putting things like tape and drip irrigation on their farms, so too can the environment. The current plan has failed to recognise that.

“Let’s create the framework so we can spend the money on infrastructure, restore the environment and keep our regional communities viable,” Mr Broad said.

MDBA Chairman Craig Knowles has said these environmental works would be considered as part of a review of the basin plan in 2015.

“But that’s not good enough. We want these works enshrined in the plan, to be released later this year,” Mr Broad said.

“We’re not going to accept a ‘pat on the head’ and be expected to trust Craig Knowles, this government or whoever is running the country in 2015.

“The fact is, once the plan is enshrined in law it will be very difficult to change.”

The VFF has finalised its submission on the draft basin plan, which has been lodged with the MDBA.